Brewing Unit Apparatus of Coffee Machine and the Coffee Machine Thereof

ABSTRACT

A brewing unit apparatus of a coffee machine and the coffee machine thereof is adapted to accommodate and brew a coffee powder in the coffee machine. The apparatus comprises a filter sieve for accommodating the coffee powder. The sieve is arranged in a unit component body. An inlet is arranged in an upper portion of the unit component body. An outlet is arranged in a lower portion. A step space for allowing the coffee powder expansion and avoiding overflow extends between an upper edge of the sieve and an upper portion of the unit component body.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to a coffee machine and an accessorythereof, and, more particularly, relates to a coffee machine and animprovement for the coffee extracting and filtering apparatus thereof.

BACKGROUND

Since coffee powder needs to be brewed and extracted before utilization,in the prior art coffee machine, a brewing and extracting componentdealing with the coffee powder is a core component of the coffeemachine. In order to ensure the tasty qualities of concentration andtemperature of the extracted coffee, the common coffee powder brewingand extracting parts, such as Keurig® My K-Cup® , Ekobrew™ brands coffeebrewing unit devices, continue to improve the coffee brewing unitdevice.

According to a standard of SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association ofAmerica), a best coffee brewing and extracting ratio is 1000 ml water to55 g coffee powder, that is, a ratio requirement of 0.055 is adopted foran optimum coffee taste. However, in the prior art, improvements for acoffee brewing unit tend to generally focus on an accommodation sievefor coffee, i.e., a filter sieve. There appears to be no precedentexamples on designing and considering an amount of coffee powder to beaccommodated. For most coffee brewing units in the prior art, a methodof arranging a maximum capacity mark on the coffee filter sieve, or on aunit component holding the coffee filter sieve, is adopted to indicatean optimum coffee powder amount. However, for such a method in oneaspect, a user has difficulty in controlling the amount of coffee to bepoured. In another aspect, since no careful consideration on coffeecapacity is accounted for in the structure, when the coffee powder fillsthe filter sieve, there is no design consideration on coffee powderexpansion during the process of brewing and extraction, which causes thecoffee powder to overflow, affecting the coffee taste.

Therefore, the current technology needs to be improved and developed.

SUMMARY

The purpose of the present disclosure is to provide an improved brewingunit apparatus of a coffee machine and the coffee machine thereof.Through improving the brewing unit apparatus of the coffee machine,control of the coffee brewing ratio is conveniently achieved.

A brewing unit apparatus of a coffee machine for accommodating andbrewing a coffee powder in a coffee machine comprises a filter sieve foraccommodating the coffee powder. The sieve is arranged in a body of aunit component. An inlet is arranged in an upper portion of the unitcomponent body. An outlet is arranged in a lower portion. A step spacefor allowing the coffee powder expansion and avoiding overflow isdisposed between an upper edge of the sieve and an upper portion of theunit component body.

At the inner bottom of the unit component body, a filtration spacefacilitating a convergence of the coffee extract is disposed between theoutlet and the sieve bottom.

The sieve is made of a metal mesh, and both the bottom and sides of thesieve are made of metal meshes.

The sieve has a cup shape.

The unit component body is further arranged with a cover component. Adownwardly arranged cylindrical portion and a tapered portion isarranged on the cover component, and a plurality of downward inlets arearranged in the tapered portion.

A water conducting cap is disposed on an outside of the cover component.

The cover component has an integrated connection portion arranged forconnecting with the unit component body and acting as an axle forflipping or pivoting the cover component. A notch is disposed on anopposite side of the unit component body with respect to the integratedconnection portion, and a flange portion is disposed on the covercomponent for facilitating the opening of the cover component.

The cover component has a circular rubber ring.

The brewing unit apparatus described above is incorporated in a coffeemachine.

The present disclosure provides a brewing unit apparatus of a coffeemachine and the coffee machine thereof providing a step space disposedin the brewing unit apparatus for allowing the coffee powder expansionand avoiding overflow. The apparatus aids a user in controlling theamount of the coffee powder during brewing of the coffee powder, and amore convenient coffee machine usage is achieved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic exploded perspective view of the brewingunit apparatus of the coffee machine consistent with various disclosedembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates another exploded perspective view of the filter sieveof the brewing unit apparatus of the coffee machine consistent withvarious disclosed embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates a partial cross-sectional diagrammatic view of thebrewing unit apparatus of the coffee machine and the coffee machinethereof consistent with various disclosed embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of the unit component of the brewing unitapparatus of the coffee machine and the coffee machine thereofconsistent with various disclosed embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates a bottom view of the unit component of the brewingunit apparatus of the coffee machine and the coffee machine thereofconsistent with various disclosed embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic view of a coffee machine incorporatingthe brewing unit apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutionof the invention, reference will now be made in detail to exemplaryembodiments of the invention, which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be usedthroughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

A preferred embodiment of a brewing unit apparatus of a coffee machineand the coffee machine thereof described in the present disclosure, asshown in FIG. 2, comprises a filter sieve 110 adapted for accommodatinga coffee powder or coffee grounds. The sieve 110 is cup shaped, mayemploy a plastic frame portion, and has a full metal filtration mesh inboth the side and bottom. The sieve 110 is arranged in a body of a unitcomponent 120, and there is an inner recession arranged in the body,which substantially matches the sieve. An inlet 131 is arranged on anupper portion of the body. Preferably, it is arranged as a covercomponent 130. An outlet 132 is arranged on a bottom of the body, asshown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

When arranging the sieve 110 in the unit component 120, it is arrangedto provide step space 133 on an upper edge of the sieve 110 to an upperportion of the body of the unit component 120, shown in FIG. 3 (both thesieve 110 and the unit component 120 shown in the figure have omitted aside thickness). The step space 133 allows an expansion of the coffeepowder and avoids an overflow. In such a way, during a practical use, auser may fill the coffee powder up to the sieve 110 (or slightly less).When pouring hot water through the inlet 131, the step space 133 maystore some water. Preferably, when the coffee powder is under brewingand extracting, it may expand to the step space 133, instead ofoverflowing out of the unit component 120. A height of the step space133 may be arranged as required, such as 10-20 mm. The sieve 110 isarranged on an edge of the step space 133 in the unit component 120.

In order to facilitating the brewing and extracting of the coffeepowder, both sides and bottom of the sieve 110 are arranged as metalmeshes. A gap is arranged at an inner wall of the unit component 120. Asshown in FIG. 3, a direction of an arrow is the direction of a waterflow. Preferably, on the bottom, between the outlet 132 and the bottomside of the sieve, there is a filtration space 134 arranged forfacilitating the coffee extract convergence in such a way that thecoffee extract may be converged quickly. Of course, to achieve arequirement of different tastes, a plurality of gaps with differentwidth may be adopted between the sieve 110 and the inner wall of thebody of the unit component 120, and the filtration space 134 may adopt asmaller space to control a flow out speed of an extracted coffeesolution, so as to control or regulate a concentration and the taste ofthe coffee.

The outlet 132 is arranged on the bottom of the unit component 120 inthe present disclosure, forming an integrated channel going downwardfrom the body. However, due to an existence of the filtration space 134,it may control to the extent that an extraction and filtration processbe finished quickly.

On the cover component 130 described in the present disclosure, as shownin FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, a water showering component is arranged facinginside of the body of the unit component 120 so that hot water may bepoured downward. The unit component 120 is integrated with the covercomponent 130 which has a cylinder shaped neck and a tapered bottom andforms the inlet 131. On a plurality of sides of the tapered shape, aplurality of downward water conducting holes 135 are arranged. A size ofeach hole and a water conduction direction may be set according to arequirement of a brewing and extracting speed.

The cover component 130 in the present disclosure further has a waterconducting cap 136 as shown in FIG. 1, which is arranged at a center ofthe cover component 130. The conducting cap 136 converges and forms theflow of downwardly injected water for extraction. The cover component130 in the present disclosure has an integrated connection portion 137connecting to the unit component body. The connection portion acts as anaxle for flipping or pivoting the cover component 130. A notch 121 isarranged on an outer edge of another side of the body of the unitcomponent 120 with respect to the integrated connection portion, asshown in FIG. 5. A flange portion 138 is arranged accordingly on thecover component 130 for facilitating the opening of the cover component130 from the unit component 120, and facilitating loading the sieve 110with the coffee powder in the unit component 120.

To facilitate the cover component 130 sealing the body of the unitcomponent 120, a circular rubber ring 139 is further arranged on thecover component 130, shown as FIG. 2 and FIG. 4. The rubber ring 139closely contacts with the inner wall of the body where the step space133 is located, so that water vapor during a coffee powder extractionmay be sealed.

For the brewing unit apparatus of the coffee machine and the coffeemachine thereof described in the present disclosure, a preferredembodiment further includes the coffee machine incorporating the abovelisted brewing unit apparatus in the preferred embodiments describedabove, as schematically illustrated in FIG. 6. Other structures of thecoffee machine besides the brewing unit apparatus are not illustrated.

The present disclosure provides a brewing unit apparatus of a coffeemachine and the coffee machine thereof. Due to adopting a preserved stepspace 133, a full utilization to the filter sieve is achieved, and thecapacity may be fully accommodated by the coffee powder, while duringextracting, the coffee powder is allowed to expand in the step space 133without any overflow, so that the accommodation space for the coffeepowder may be increased, more coffee powder may be held, and the SCAAratio requirement of 0.055 may be met more easily. A design of a bigshower head of a cylinder shape together with a tapered shape arrangedon the cover component 130 may improve an extraction degree, so as toimprove the coffee concentration, in order to achieve more easilycontrolled different coffee tastes, to make the coffee taste reach thebest state.

It should be understood that, the application of the present disclosureis not limited to the above examples listed. Ordinary technicalpersonnel in this field can improve or change the applications accordingto the above descriptions. All of these improvements and transformationsshould belong to the scope of protection in the appended claims of thepresent disclosure.

1. A brewing unit apparatus of a coffee machine to accommodate and brewa coffee powder comprising a filter sieve for accommodating the coffeepowder, the sieve being arranged in a body of a unit component, and aninlet being arranged in an upper portion of the unit component body, andan outlet being arranged in a lower portion of the unit component bodywherein a step space for allowing the coffee powder expansion andavoiding overflow is defined and arranged on an upper edge of the sieveand an upper portion of the unit component body.
 2. The brewing unitapparatus according to claim 1 wherein at an inner bottom of the unitcomponent body, a filtration space facilitating a convergence of acoffee extract is arranged between the outlet and a bottom of the sieve.3. The brewing unit apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the sieve hasa bottom and sides and comprises a metal mesh, and the bottom and sidesof the sieve are made of metal mesh.
 4. The brewing unit apparatusaccording to claim 3 wherein the sieve has a cup shape.
 5. The brewingunit apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the unit component bodyfurther has a cover component with a downwardly arranged cylindricalportion and tapered portion, and a plurality of downward inlets arearranged in the tapered portion.
 6. The brewing unit apparatus accordingto claim 5 wherein a water conducting cap is arranged on an outside ofthe cover component.
 7. The brewing unit apparatus according to claim 6wherein the cover component has an integrated connection portionarranged for connecting with the unit component body and acting as anaxle for flipping the cover component, a notch is disposed on anopposite side of the unit component body with respect to the integratedconnection portion, and a flange portion is arranged on the covercomponent for facilitating opening the cover component.
 8. The brewingunit apparatus according to claim 7 wherein, on the cover component, acircular rubber ring is disposed.
 9. The brewing unit apparatusaccording to claim 8 wherein the rubber ring is sealable against theupper portion of the unit component body.
 10. A coffee machineincorporating the brewing unit apparatus of claim
 1. 11. A coffeemachine incorporating the brewing unit apparatus of claim
 2. 12. Acoffee machine incorporating the brewing unit apparatus of claim
 3. 13.A coffee machine incorporating the brewing unit apparatus of claim 4.14. A coffee machine incorporating the brewing unit apparatus of claim5.
 15. A coffee machine incorporating the brewing unit apparatus ofclaim
 6. 16. A coffee machine incorporating the brewing unit apparatusof claim
 7. 17. A coffee machine incorporating the brewing unitapparatus of claim
 8. 18. A coffee machine incorporating the brewingunit apparatus of claim 9.